chatting with katie....

Katie: i gotta root for africa now
me: i would like to be able to do that
cannot
which is why i think im not watching
Katie: plus, don't you want whoever beat us to beat everyone? so we can think we were almost good enough
3:35 PM me: yeah, ive heard that line of reasoning
Katie: they are the only hope of an entire, impoverished, corruption ruled continent
me: i mean, it makes sense
im just still upset
all of these things make sense
im just still upset
3:36 PM Katie: i'm upset, but i'm also proud of that us and i don't particularly feel like they deserved to go much further
3:39 PM me: i mean, i agree
but the disappointment is still too raw
im not actively rooting against ghana
i just..... i just cant handle it right now
Katie: haha okay fair enough
but they are a fun team
me: i mean, i liked them a lot in the group stages
3:40 PM Katie: and besides, we still have america as our country
me: ha, valid
but, i still feel like i was dumped by my girlfriend
Katie: haha
me: and its just going to take some time
3:41 PM Katie: i feel more like i was dating someone who looked good on paper, but the spark wasn't there, and we've broken up. i miss the idea of him, but not actually
that was this u.s. team for me- heart for sure, but passion and skill and grace, not so much
me: ha
see, i started dating them 2-3 years ago
ive stayed up late at night with them working on their problems
and while understood the limitations, didn't think they'd go crazy on me like this so quickly
i mean, we were never getting married/they were never winning the world cup
3:43 PM Katie: haha
me: but, i just thought it would end better
Katie: haha fair enough
3:44 PM fuck uruguay scored
3:45 PM me: ha
im not even happy about that!
Katie: good
3:46 PM me: bah
wish the germans and argentina were not playing each other so soon
i can root for both of those teams
the germans play like i wish we played
sum better than the parts
Katie: i cant root for the germans
i like the way they play, but don't root for them
and argentina has my future husband on the team
me: yeah, it is difficult to root for them, i agree
Katie: so it's no contest
me: ha
i just wish we were the germans
knew how to win
organized
thoughtful, purposeful passing
ability to finish
scrappy, everyone likes each other
Katie: yeah they play like such a team
3:48 PM me: they are the girl at the coffee shop i wish i was dating, but is out of my league
Katie: oh goodness
3:49 PM me: she's got some banker boyfriend, who does something fantastically interesting at night, like write short stories, or on the side graphic design
or, maybe build furniture
he's in shape, is funny
i've got nothing
except this damn girl who has a ton of problems, but i loved anyways
bah

More verbal goal scoring

Have come to really like the michael davies and roger bennet blog/podcast on espn through this cup, and found another good one today. this summed up a few things:

"When did I last feel this bad about a loss? England's 1990 semifinal defeat to Germany, perhaps?

But I am not talking about England's 4-1 battering. It was the U.S.'s ouster that left me devastated this weekend. England's failure was, regrettably, all too predictable. We are a nation that has long mistaken fame for skill. But the U.S. team created a sense of endeavor, nobility and optimism -- all too rare a commodity in sports and rarer still in American soccer. We will always have Landon's goal, a totemic symbol that will be played and replayed, even as we debate how or whether America's fascination for the big-event nature of the World Cup will translate into a more lasting passion for the sport of football itself."

all from some englishmen too... god, miss this team still.

Simmons just putting the ball in the back of the net

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/100701

Favorite part:

"I hate how teams milk leads in the last 15-20 minutes by faking injuries and taking forever to sub players. When that Ghana player had to be carried off on a stretcher at the tail end of the America game, then hopped off like nothing ever happened as soon as the stretcher was out of bounds, I thought that was appalling. Actually, it made me want to go to war with Ghana. I wanted to invade them. I'm not even kidding. That's another great thing about the World Cup: Name another sport in which you genuinely want to invade other countries when you lose."

and of course:

"Rasheed Wallace loved to say "ball don't lie." YouTube don't lie, either. We will always have the Algeria game. Always."

Watching the U.S. Game...with a curse of being from Cleveland

I wasn't terrified down 2-0 against Slovenia. Give me a team that doesn't have a chance...and is against all odds and I have confidence that we can come back and tie the game. We may lose later but we're tying the game. Give me a team that's supposed to win, a team favored to win...that's a team for which I am terrified. I am a BROWNS fan. I am used to losing. I expect the worst. "We control our own destiny." I don't want any part of that. That was the phrase after the Slovenia game. I was terrified. Without knowing a thing about Algeria other than a view I got 30 feet from the tv, intoxicated, during their match with England, I was petrified by their speed. I kept yelling at Noah the journalist, "I am afraid of their speed on the flanks." Prior to the match, we discovered that our backline would include Bornstein. Ohhh god...this is the start. We are screwed. God help us. We're losing this game. A goal early. Typical Browns. We finally get a shot at this god damn thing and we trot out a backline incapable of handling anything. I was a wreck.

In the back of the car, I attempted to alleviate some concern by playing some LCD Soundsystem. My ipod kept dying. A sign to be sure. If only Cribbs was here. We arrived at the game with too much time on our hands. We got sauced up a bit. Algerian fans poured in with drums and horns. We were outgunned in the back and in the drum department. Terrified.

I could go on. The game started. We couldn't put a goal in despite numerous opportunities. I was coming apart at the seams. Then, I recalled my training from earlier occasions. The Browns had a chance to clinch a playoff berth in Week 16 2007. Instead, they lost to a crappy Bengals team quarterbacked by Ryan Fitzgerald. Derek Anderson threw four interceptions. We somehow stayed in the game and I watched a pass flutter over Kellen Winslow in the end zone as time expired to lose. Josh Cribbs naturally returned a punt for a TD at the game I attended the next week. However, Tony Dungy played his subs in the Sunday night game and we lost at midnight Monday while I was in a busport in Pittsburgh to eliminate us from the playoffs as my dad texted me every 20 minutes as he'd promised he'd do. My heart was ripped out.

So there we were as Buddle missed Altidore cutting in the 90th minute Wednesday, I steeled myself for a 0-0 draw...maybe Slovenia tallies a goal vs. England. We can't seem to get a score anywhere. Andrew is panicked on his cell phone trying to get internet so we can find the score. Then, we broke out...I'd love to say I remember watching it all develop but it's all a blur. I saw us running down the field...I was standing...as a I recall with Geoff and Andrew. Arm in arm. Clint got a foot on it...the ball kicked out. Landon kicked it in. We lost it.

We lost it and lost it. and lost it. To give you a sense of how long we hugged, cried, exploded, high-fived, and waved flags, the next time I looked up, Slovenia had a corner. I was confused and disoriented. Naturally, I expected them to tie it. "BLOW THE GOD DAMNED WHISTLE!!!!!" Then, they did. And we were through. I lost my sunglasses while banging on the signage hanging from the second deck chanting USA. A young child picked up my sunglasses and put them on as he walked out of the stadium. We hugged more...we chanted, "We're on top of the group." It was amazing. I am one of the luckiest people alive at present. I am here in South Africa with some great friends watching the U.S. play, win, and succeed.

We'll be at Rustenburg on Saturday. I'll be just as concerned then with an emotionally devastating loss. But at least I got to experience an unparalleled emotionally exhilarating win.